The 2015 College Football season begins this weekend, starting with several games this evening. This season figures to be much more wide open than last year, so it will be interesting to see which of the top teams fail to meet expectations and what sleeper teams emerge as the season progresses. Ohio State opens the year as the clear favorite to make the playoffs again, but who will join them?
My Final Four - Ohio State, Baylor, Auburn, and Notre Dame. Auburn over Ohio State in the finals.
Ohio State - No matter who is at quarterback, the Buckeyes are too talented and too deep not to make the playoffs. Running back Ezekiel Elliot is my pick to win the Heisman Trophy and defensive end Joey Bosa might be the top defensive player in the country. I think they survive the season undefeated, with close calls versus Virginia Tech and Michigan State.
Baylor - I believe one playoff spot will come down to Baylor and TCU, and I'm picking the Bears because they are the more complete team. Bryce Petty is gone, but Art Briles has developed a system where quarterback Seth Russell should be able to step in without much of a drop in production. Furthermore, Baylor's defense should be tougher than TCU's due to being more experienced, and that will prove to be the difference on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Auburn - There doesn't seem to be a dominant team in the SEC, but I believe Auburn has the best chance at reaching that level. Quarterback Jeremy Johnson should add a vertical passing game to an already potent offense, while defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will improve the defense enough for Auburn to come out of the SEC with only one loss.
Notre Dame - Quarterback Malik Zaire should provide more stability and he has one of the nation's best offensive lines and deepest receiving corps in the country to help him out. Defensively, the Irish should improve with the return of linebacker Joe Schmidt and cornerback KeiVarae Russell to go along with linebacker Jaylon Smith. Being an Independent could hurt Notre Dame, but the Irish have four tough games against Georgia Tech, Clemson, USC, and Stanford to convince the committee.
Why Notre Dame over a PAC 12 or ACC team? - If Notre Dame goes 12-0, they will undoubtedly make the playoffs. But, with two top ACC and PAC 12 opponents, it is possible that Notre Dame could go 11-1 while defeating two conference champions. If that were the case, and the only blemish was a close loss to a tough opponent, the Irish will remain an attractive option to the committee. Also, due to the depth of the PAC 12 and the parity in the ACC, I believe both conference champions will have two loses on their resume.
-Eric Tichelbaut
@etichel07
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